The prior art includes various percussion instruments used in conjunction with a drum. U.S. Pat. No. 852,881 discloses a cymbal which is supported closely adjacent to the head of a drum by adjustable arms. A foot-actuated beater rod is positioned to strike the cymbal when a foot pedal is depressed by the musician.
In another musical instrument, a jingling sound producing instrument is mounted on the rim of a drum. The instrument includes an elongate flexible strap extending radially inwardly toward the center of the drum head from the rim. A larger, rigid arm also extends radially inwardly from the rim to overlie a portion of the flexible strap. A cross member is transversely attached to the free end of the flexible strap. A plurality of pins extend upwardly from the cross member to engage through the center of a pair of nominally vertically spaced apart metal sound discs. A pair of rubber snubber members extend downwardly from the cross member to press against the drum head. A screw, which is threadably engaged with the rigid arm, may be adjusted to press downwardly against the flexible strap to increase or decrease the pressure of the snubber members against the drum head, thus varying the tone of the sound produced by the metal sound discs. In operation, when the drum is struck with a hand or a stick, the resulting vibration causes the metal sound discs, which are loosely supported by the upright pins, to vibrate and strike each other.
Another percussion instrument is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,261,253 which is composed of a sloped wooden panel supported above an underlying second wooden panel. A circular pad is affixed to the upper surface of the upper panel and an elongate support block is disposed across the underside of the upper panel to extend along the diameter of the circular shock absorbing pad. Two pairs of metal sounding members in the form of dished tambourine jingles are suspended on corresponding pins extending downwardly from the elongate block. In use, the shock absorbing pad is struck with a drum stick causing the upper panel and the two pairs of tambourine jingles to vibrate to theoretically produce simulative snare drum sounds.
A tambourine is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 1,350,975 which consists of a rim extending around the circumference of a circular head. Horizontal slots are formed in the rim to receive pairs of tambourine jingles. The jingles have central openings to engage over vertical posts which span across the width of the slots. When the head of the tambourine is struck with a hand or other object, the tambourine jingles vibrate against each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,239 discloses another tambourine constructed similarly to the one disclosed in the above-described '975 patent with the exception that the tambourine does not include a head. Also, the rim of the tambourine is attached to the upper end of an axially movable, foot operated shaft, such as the type used in conjunction with a "high hat". Actuation of a shaft through a foot pedal causes the tambourine jingles to vibrate against each other.